Combination lock bank

ABSTRACT

A savings bank having a combination operated lock. A frame is received within a casing and defines therewith compartments for coins and for currency. A combination dial on the casing rotates one or both of a pair of spaced, parallel discs in the casing, each disc having a peripheral notch therein. In the locked condition of the combination lock mechanism a leaf spring is biased by one or both of the discs into the path of a peg on the frame and prevents withdrawal of the frame from the casing. In the unlocked condition the notches in the discs are aligned with each other and with the head of the spring to permit the spring to retract out of the path of the peg on the frame.

ilnited States Patent 1 91 Pierce, Jr.

[54] COMBINATION LOCK BANK [75] Inventor: Don C. Pierce, Jr., Bellevue, Ohio [73] Assignee: Huron Company, liellevue,

Ohio 22 Filed: July 14,1971

21 Appl.No.: 162,483

3,048,940 8/1962 Thomson ...232/4 R X 3,298,601 v 1/1967 Brown ..232/4 R 793,779 7/1905 Fisher ....232/4 R D160,l33 9/1950 Thompson ..-232/4 R X 1M'arch 20, 1973 660,307 10/1900 Owen ..70/322 I Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak Assistant Examinere-Peter A. Aschenbre'nner Attorney-Bosworth, Sessions, Herrstrom & Cain 57 ABSTRACT A savings bank having a combination operated lock. A frame is received within a casing and defines therewith compartments for coins and for currency. A combination dial on the casing rotates one or both of a pair of spaced, parallel discs in the casing, each disc having a peripheral notch therein. In the locked condition of the combination lock mechanism a leaf spring is biased by one or both of the discs into the path of a peg on the frame and prevents withdrawal of the frame from the casing. in the unlocked condition the notches in the discs are aligned with each other and with the head of the spring to permit the spring to retract out of the path of the peg on the frame.

1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUHAREOIHR 3,721,384

INVENTOR.

DO/V C. P/ERCE, JR.

COMBINATION LOCK BANK I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to coin savings banks, particularly those intended for children, and more particularly.

having a combination develop the virtue of thrift. The novel and imaginative features in a savings bank, as well as'its basic purpose encourage children to save the coins and small currency they acquire as gifts, for performing small tasks about the home and in numerous other ways. Often the coins and currency are saved for some special occasion or event or until a certain sum is accumulated. When the predetermined sum has been accumulated or when the momentous day arrives it is, of course, necessary to gain entrance to the savings bank to withdraw v the money therefrom. 1

Savings banks are made with various degrees of accessibility to their contents. There are the old standby piggy banks which generally must be broken in order to withdraw the savings they contain. There are also banks which are not at all lockable and from which a child may withdraw money too easily, and there are banks which are lockable. I

The most desirable type of savings bank is probably the lockable type. During the saving period the child can feel that his savings are protected by the lock SUMMARY OF TI-IE INVENTION A general object of thisinvention is to provide a savings bank for coins and, preferably, also currency having features whichmake it particularly attractive to and suitable for use by a child to aid in developing good savings habits.

Another object is to provide a childrens savings bank that is suggestive of security -for savings both in appearance and in manner of use soas to encourage its use by children.

A more particular object is to provide such a savings bank that may be locked and unlocked so as to protect, the savings therein while providing accessibility I thereto at the proper time, but which does not require means are provided for normally preventing the withdrawal of the frame from the casing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a savings bank embodying the present invention.

' FIG. 2 is a rear view of the savings bank showing the coin and currency compartments.

FIG. 3 is a Sectional view of the frame along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showing the combination lock mechanism in the locked condition.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the combination lock mechanism when one digit of the combination has been entered.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 4 and 6 showing the combination lock mechanism in the unlocked conditron.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 to 3, a savings bank embodying the present invention includes a casing 10 which is open at its top and receives therein a frame 12. The frame 12 is generally the same height and width as casing 10 so as to fit snugly therein in those dimensions and has a top 14 which substantially fills the open top of casing 10. A handle 15 is connected to top 14 to allow the frame 12 to be withdrawn from casing 10 when the bank is unlocked. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear of frame 12 has an outwardly extending shelf 17 about one-third of the way from the top to the bottom. Below the shelf 17 and frame 12 is formed into a seriesof semi-cylindrical channels 19 to 23 of the proper sizes to accommodate the different coin denominations.

The rear wall 27 of casing 10 is transparent and the portion of frame 12 and rear wall 27 above shelf 17 define a currency compartment 28. An opening 29 in the rear wall 27 is provided for insertion of currency into the currency compartment. Rear wall 27 and channels 19 to 23 define compartments for the various coin denominations and openings 34 to 38 in the rear wall allow insertion of coins into the various compartments.

The front wall 39 of casing 10 is provided with an index mark 40 and with a combination dial 42 which is rotatably pinned thereto. The combination dial 42 is employed to operate a combination lock mechanism described below. In the locked condition frame 12 is locked into and cannot be withdrawn from casing 10. When the unlocking combination is entered by means of dia] 42 the frame 12 can be withdrawn from casing 10 and access gained to the savings within the bank.

It will be appreciated that the savings bank shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and described above has the appearance of a combination operated padlock and, when the unlocking combination is inserted, is unlocked by pulling on the handle 15 which simulates the hasp of the padlock. A childs savings bank in this form tends to instill in a childs mind the idea that his savings are secure when protected by such a lock and encourages him to use the savings bank and thereby to develop habits of thrift. At the same time, the accumulation of savings can be kept track of through the transparent rear wall 28 of the casing and, since there is no key to be lost, the bank can be opened when a particular savings goal is reached by dialing the proper combination.

The combination lock mechanism has most of its parts mounted on the inner side of front wall 39 of casing 10. Referring to FIGS. 3 to 7, the lock mechanism includes a pair of spaced rotatable discs 53 and 54, each disc having a peripheral notch, 58 in disc 53 and 59 in disc 54. One or both discs 53 and 54 are rotated by turning combination dial 42 and, except in the unlocked condition, bias a leaf spring 62 into the path of a peg 65 on the front of frame 12. So lorig as spring 62 obstructs the path of peg 65 frame 12 cannot be withdrawn from casing 10. When the notches 58 and 59 are aligned at the proper positions as shown in FIG.

7 spring 62 is free to enter the notches and no longer obstructs the path of peg 65. g

The combination dial '42 is connected in the lock mechanism by a pin 70 which extends through front wall 39 of casing 10 and is connected at its other end to the outermost disc 54 of the pair of spaced discs. Combination dial 42 thus rotates pin 70 and disc 54. Pin 70 passes through a central opening in inner disc 53 and is free to rotate with respect thereto. A ring-like projection 72 on outer disc 54 determines the spacing between the discs 53 and 54. Disc 53 is provided with a projecting pin 74 which extends toward disc 54 and, similarly, disc 54 is provided with a projecting pin 75 which extends toward disc 53.

Turning the combination dial 42 rotates pin 70 which in turn rotates disc 54 but not, except as described below, disc 53. When, however, disc 54 has been rotated sufficiently with respect to disc 53 the projecting pin 75 on disc 54 will contact the projecting pin 74 on disc 53 and disc 53 will be rotated along with disc 54. Thus, combination dial 42 directly controls the rotation of disc 54 and, through disc 54 controls the rotation of disc 53.

The leaf spring 62 is secured to the inner part of the front wall 39 of casing 10 by a pin 80 and is flexed about a fulcrum or stop 82 a greater or lesser amount according to the positions of notches 58 and S9 in discs 53 and 54. Spring 62 has a head portion 84 that is curved at one end to enable it to fit within notches 58 and 59 when the notches are aligned and at the proper position.

FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 illustrate the unlocking sequence. In FIG. 3 the notches 58 and 59 are not in alignment nor in proper position to receive the head portion 84 of spring 62. To unlock the bank combination dial 42 is first turned sufficiently to allow projecting pin 75 on disc 54 to contact projecting pin 74 on disc 53. This allows inner disc 53 to be rotated by turning of combination dial 42. Dial 42 is then turned further in the same direction to align the first digit of the unlocking combination with index mark 40 which causes notch 58 in inner disc 53 to be rotated to the position shown in FIG. 6 where it is aligned with head portion 84 of spring 62. Spring 62 remains biased into the path of peg 65, however, by disc 54.

The combination dial is then rotated in the direction opposite to its previous direction of rotation so that outer disc 54 is rotated but inner disc 53 is'not rotated. When the second digit of the combination on combination dial 42 is aligned with index mark 40 notch 59 on outer disc 54 is also aligned with head portion 84 of spring 62 and with notch 58 in inner disc 53. Head portion 84 of spring 62 is thereby allowed to retract out of the path of peg 65 on frame 12 which can then be withdrawn from casing 10.

After the savings are removed or otherwise acted upon in the savings bank, frame 12 can be reinserted into casing 10 and, if the combination lock mechanism is in the unlocked condition, peg 65 will be allowed to move downwardly to its normal position without obstruction from the head portion 84 of spring 62. The bank can then be allowed to remain in the unlocked condition or it can be locked by merely turning combination dial 42 to cause at least one of the discs to bias the head of spring 62 into the path of peg 65.

While a preferred form of this invention has been disclosed herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and improvements can be made in the specific form herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, this invention is not to be limited to the specific form herein disclosed nor in any other way inconsistent with the progress in the art promoted thereby.

What is claimed is:

1. A savings bank comprising a casing, a frame received within said casing and defining therewith a compartment for coins, said casing having an opening therein for insertion of coins into said compartment, and combination lock means normally preventing the withdrawal of said frame from said casing, said combination lock means including a peg on said frame, first and second parallel discs each having-a notch therein, a leaf spring in said casing having a head portion adapted to fit in said notches when they are aligned, said discs biasing said leaf spring to block the path of said peg when said notches are not aligned and permitting said leaf spring to retract out of the path of said peg and into said notches when they are aligned, and combination dial means for rotating said discs to align said notches opposite said leaf spring, whereby said head portion of said leaf spring is received within said notches and allows said frame to be withdrawn from said casing. 

1. A savings bank comprising a casing, a frame received within said casing and defining therewith a compartment for coins, said casing having an opening therein for insertion of coins into said compartment, and combination lock means normally preventing the withdrawal of said frame from said casing, said combination lock means including a peg on said frame, first and second parallel discs each having a notch therein, a leaf spring in said casing having a head portion adapted to fit in said notches when they are aligned, said discs biasing said leaf spring to block the path of said peg when said notches are not aligned and permitting said leaf spring to retract out of the path of said peg and into said notches when they are aligned, and combination dial means for rotating said discs to align said notches opposite said leaf spring, whereby said head portion of said leaf spring is received within said notches and allows said frame to be withdrawn from said casing. 